Knitting machine



' 9 sheets-sheet 1 M. ZlMlC ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Jan. 3, 1950 Filedsept. 15, 1945 Jan. 3, 1950 M. zlMic ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept.15A, 1945 9 SheetSi-Shee 2 MICHAEL ZIMIC ANTON MlsKovsKY |NvENT`oRsATTORNEY M. ZIMIC ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Jam 39 95() Filed Sept. 15,1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 A INVENTORS MICHAEL ZIMIC BY ANT-ON MI Y EEE?.

OVSKY @W ATTORNEY Jan. 3, 1950 M. zuvuc ETAL 2,493,054

KNITTING MACHINE Filed sept. 15. 1945 9 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTORS MICHAELZIMICr BY ANTON MISK VSKY ATTORN Y 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 MICHAEL ZIMIC ANTONMlSKOVSKY INVENTORS BY m ATTORNEY M. ZMHC ETAL KNITTING MACHINEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ jan., 3, 95@

Filed sept. 1s, 19.45

Jam 3? l5@ M. ziMac ET AL, 2,493,054

' KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 1:5l 1945 l 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 M4 INVENToRsMICHAEL z|M|c By ANTON "MIS ovsKY QA @N/ ATTOR EY jam 3 H950 M1, zlMlETAL, 2,493,054,

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 13, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 BY ANTON MISovsKY ik ATTO NEY Jan. 39 E95 M. ZlMnc ETAL. 41939954 KNITTING MACHINEFiled sept. 1s, 1945 asneets-sneet e MICHAEL zmnt AN TON MISKOVSKYINVENTORS BYPNM m ATTORNEY Jan., 3, 950 M. zuvuc ETAL QB@ KNITTINGMACHINE Filed Sept. 13,. 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTORS MICHAEL ZIMICBY` ANTON Mus vsKY mEY Patented Jan. 3, 1950 KNT'E'ENG MACHINE MichaelZimic, New York, and Anton Miskovsky, Deer Park, N. Y.; said Miskovskyassigner to said Zimio Application September 13, 1945, Serial No.615,936

(Cl. (i6-127 Claims.

rlhis invention relates generally to the field of machine knitting andmore particularly, to a fully automatic links and links machine.

Among the objects of the present invention lies the provision of a noveland useful knitting machine of the links and links type wherein there isthe simultaneous production of a plurality of knitted webs, and methodsof knittingthe same.

Another object hereinv lies in the provision of a machine of thecharacter described which, by virtue of the organization of the partsand subassemblies thereof, provides a greater quantity of knitted fabricWithin the same space as would be occupied by a plurality of independentmachines, or conversely, a substantially equal amount of knit goods in acorresponding or lesser amount of factory space.

Another object herein lies .in the provision of a plural capacity linksand links knitting machine wherein through a novel co-action of theparts thereof, controls of a master unit affect aseries of controlledunits. By' virtue of the tandem operation and construction, certaincontrol mechanisms need be only provided once for a given machine with aconsequent saving in first cost and servicing.

A still further object of the present invention lies in the provision ofimproved jack construction, co-acting with split iiat needle beds andneedles, so that a superior knitting action is obtained.

Another object herein lies in the provision of improved carriageconstruction so that the shifting of the butts and hence the jacks maybe accomplished in a superior manner with a consequent improvement inthe action and 'knitting ability of the many needles in the beds. Thepresent improved carriages also facilitate a new action of the yarncontrols.

Another object herein lies in the provision of simple and substantiallytrouble-proof control means for producing cO-action between the masterunit and the controlled units.

Another object lies in the provision of an improved method of knittingof substantially continuous webs of knitted fabrics.

A feature of the present invention lies in the fact, that althoughincreased production is obtained, Various features of the automaticlinks and links construction, such as flexibility and adjustability, areretained, whereby the knitted fabrics may be varied as to the characterof the stitches.

A further feature -of the present construction lies in the provision ofsafety devices by the use of which imperfections in the yarn or knittingoperations cause a stoppage of the machine and the construction is suchthat servicing may be done with a minimum of lost time by the operatoror repairer.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages will more fullyappear in the progress of this disclosure and be pointed out in thelappended claims.

rihe inventive ideas involved are capable of receiving a variety ofexpressions, one of which, for purposes of illustration, is shown in theaccompany-ing drawings; but it will be expressly understood -that saiddrawings are used merely for the purpose'of facilitating the descriptionof the invention as a whole, and not to define the limits thereof,reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l and Figure l-a, together form a general plan of View of anembodiment of the invention. 1t is intended that these two figures beconsulted simultaneously by placing them in juxtaposition with Figure 1on the left.

Figure .2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view partly insection of one of the controlled carriages of Figure l. v

Figure 2-a is an enlarged fragmentary yfront elevational view partly insection of the master carriage shown at the left of Figure l-fa.

Figure 2-b is an enlarged fragmentary detail kelevational View of themechanism seen at the right end of Figure 1-a.

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan View .of the control carriage which isshown at the left of yFigure l-a.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view as seen from the plane-i on Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing details of the yarncontrol mechanism.

Figure 6 is an end elevational View Vofthe buck or right end of Figure1.

kFigure 7 is a schematic plan view of the stitch Acams. on the controlcarriage substantial-ly Lat the vel. of tl e `plane 'E-fi von. Figure 4.

Figure fl is a schematic fragmentary vertical sectional viewas seen fromthe plane 8-.3' on Figure 7.

`Figure '9 is a schematic fragmentaryr vertical sectional view as seenfrom the plane 9;'-9' on Figure 7.

Figure l10 is a schematic fragmentary Vertical sectional view as seenfrom the plane ||0 on Figure '1.

Figure 11 is a schematic fragmentary vertical sectional view as seenfrom the plane on Figure '7.

Figure 12 is a schematic fragmentary vertical sectional View as seenfrom the plane |2|2 on Figure '1.

Before entering upon a detailed description of the construction of themachine by means of which the various knitting steps are accomplished,it is believed that a better understanding of the entire mechanism andmethods of operation will be obtained by first giving a synopsis.

As shown in Figures 1 and 1-a, a bank of individual knitting units isprovided. As an example, three knitting units 22, '23 and 24 are shown.Groups of needles in each of the units do the knitting and these needlesare actuated by stitch cams carried by the carriages D, 5| and 52. Thecarriage 5U is the master carriage and the carriages 5| and 52 are thecontrolled carriages. In some instances, for the purpose of avoidingunnecessary repetition, parts on the units 23 and 24 corresponding tothe unit 22 are given the same reference character with the addition ofa letter suix, a in unit 23 and b in unit 24. Each of the knitting unitshas a stationary needle bed and a movable needle bed, the latter beingshifted in unison on all units. A yarn selecting mechanism in the masterunit controls the feeding of the yarn in the controlled units. The sizeof the knitted stitches in the master unit is controlled by a selectorfor this purpose, which shifts stitch size cams in master unit, and thisselection is transmitted to the controlled units. The width of theknitted fabric web is determined by shiftable cams in the master unitand this is transmitted to the controlled units. As to which ends of thedouble point needles in the links and links machine are used, this iscontrolled by novel structure and the control is effective in each ofthe knitting units 22, 23, and 24.

In the general type of machine herein shown, the usual front and rearbeds 29 and I9 are provided in which the needles 33 are controlled toform stitches through the medium of a separate lock mechanism supportedby each of the carriages 50, 5|, and'52, which continuously reciprocatesover the needle beds in each of the knitting units. The carriage 50 isconnected to the carriage 5| by a connecting rod 44, the carriage 5| isconnected to the carriage 52 by the connecting rod 45. Each of theconnecting rods 44 and 45 as provided, at the ends 46, 41, 48, and 49 isprovided with a downwardly opening notch which is adapted for detachableengagement with the shanks of headed pins which project forwardly fromthe rear portions of the carriages. See, for example, the pins |85 and|86 on Figure 2 and |83 on Figure 2-a. The carriages in reciprocatingover the needle beds control the needle jacks associated with thevarious needles to accomplish the regular knitting operations.

For the purposes of the description, it will be assumed that operationis initiated with the carriages at their left hand positions.

Turning to Figures 1 and l-a, the machine generally is indicated byreference character 2U and includes, broadly, a base or frame 2| uponwhich are supported a plurality of knitting units 22, 23 and 24. While,for the purpose of illustrating the invention, a machine has been shownhaving a master knitting unit 22 and controlled knitting units 23 and24, the number of controlled units may be varied to produce,simultaneously, a different number of fabric webs than the threeproduced by the present machine.

As far as the general knitting structure is concerned, each of thecontrolled units 23 and 24 is substantially identical with the other andalso with the master unit. This will more fully appear as the disclosureproceeds. As seen in Figure 4, there are stationary frame beds 21 and28. The front needle bed 29 is slidably mounted on the front stationaryframe bed 21 for movement longitudinally of the machine 20 and saidfront needle bed may be shifted by actuation of the connecting bar 30which joins the corresponding shiftable front needle beds of thecontrolled units. Shifting of the bar 30 to produce the desired type ofstitches is accomplished in a wellknown manner heretofore used on linksand links machines of the present class. The bar 30 interconnects thethree front needle beds so that they may be simultaneously shifted.

The front and rear needle beds are provided with a plurality of grooves3| and 32 within which are located the needles 33, as well as the frontand rear, and auxiliary jacks 34, 35 and 36, respectively. Obviously,the number of the grooves 3| and 32 will depend upon the width and gaugeof the fabric and the size of the machine. It may be noted here,however, that the carriages in their operational cycles make a completetraverse of the needle beds so that knitting may be carried on for thefull width of the capacity of the machine. Where narrower fabrics aredesired, the yarn controls feed the yarn for a lesser width, as willmore fully appear herein.

The front jacks 34 are provided with a series of butts 31 and 38, andthe rear jacks 35 have corresponding butts 39 and 40. The auxiliaryjacks 36 have single butts 4|. These butts co-act with the stitch camson the carriages.

Disposed at the front and rear portions of the machine and supportedabove the beds 21 and 28 are the front and rear rails 42 and 43. Thecross-sectional configuration of these rails is seen in Figure 4 andthey serve as tracks along which the main carriage 50 and the controlledcarriages 5| and 52 ride.

The controlled carriages are generally similar in construction with themaster or main carriage 50, the carriage 5U having additional mechanismfor controlling carriages 5| and 52. As seen in Figures 3 and 4, thecarriage 50 has front and rear assemblies indicated generally byreference characters 53 and 54. The assemblies 53 and 54 are connectedby an arched bridge 55. In the case of the master carriage 50, thebridge 55 supports the yarn control 56. The front and rear assemblies 53and 54 are built about the front and rear carriage plates 51 and 58.'I'he front and rear base portions of the bridge 55 are secured to theupper surfaces of the plates 51 and 58 in any suitable manner, as bybolting.

The front and rear plates 51 and 58 are provided with a plurality ofhorizontally journalled rollers 59 and a plurality of verticallyjournalled rollers 60. The rollers 59 and 60 are adjustable so that thecarriage 50 may follow a substantially rectilinear oscillatory course. Aplurality of reciprocatable latches 6| are shiftable inwardly andoutwardly of the carriage to engage correspondingly positioned groovesin the rails 42 and 43. When in their extended position, these latchesmaintain the carriage in positive slidable engagement with the rails.When the latches The jacquard drum |01 may be mounted Vupon a shaftwhich is engaged in the slotted upper ends of a plurality of radial armsH2 which are fixed to the longitudinal shaft H3. The shaft slidablyrests upon the supports 99.

The gate cams and |10, as a co-acting pair, are so arranged that whenone of them is down or in the closed or active position thereof, theother one is in the open, upper or inactive position. The gate cams 1|and |1| are substantially identical in structure and mode of operationwith the cams 10 and |10. As seen in the lower portion of Figure 3, thecam 10 is secured to the lower end of a vertical pin H4, having arearwardly projecting follower H5. Similarly, the cam |10 has a verticalpin H6 and a follower H1. The gate cams seek the lower or activeposition thereof under the action of gravity, aided by expansive coilsprings. The spring H8 is seen in Figure 4. Slidably disposed upon theupper surface of plate 51 is a member I9, provided with a left camsurface and a right cam surface |2|. When the followers H1 or H5 areresting upon the upper surface of the member H9, the respective gate camis elevated to its inactive position. The cam surfaces |20 and |2| areso arranged that the elevated portion of either one of the cams ismutually exclusive with regard to the other. The member H9 is maintainedin an operative position by the guides |22 and |23. The member H9 isshifted in position by the ends thereof |24 and |25, striking suitablerelatively stationary projections arranged in their path of travel.

The stitch size cams 9| and 92 are substantially identical inconstruction and operation and are shifted in position by adjustablefingers such as the fingers |24, |25 and |26, which engage the follower|21, projecting upwardly from the cam 9|, for example. The follower |21may have associated therewith, suitable indicating means |28 to show therelative position of the cam 9| in its retracted positions. The fingers|24|26 are adjustably secured to a bar |29 by means of the screws, whichpenetrate slots in said fingers and threadedly engage said bar. Theright-hand end of the bar |29 is provided with stepped faces |30 and |3|and lying directly below the bar |29 is another bar |32, having thestepped faces |33 and |34. The bars |32 and |29 are inter-connected by awell known rack and pinion device |35, so that anyone of the threefingers, |24, |25 or |26 may be selectively engaged with the follower|21 by means of the dog |36 which is movably mounted with respect to theframe 20 for movement forwardly or rearwardly of the machine, but is xedlongitudinally. The dog |36 is seen at the right end of Figure l-a. Thebars |32 and |29 are slidably mounted in the guides |31 and |38 whichare secured to the top surface of the plate 51. A similar structure isutilized to shift the stitch cam 92 and includes the bars 229 and 232 inthe guides 231 and 238, and fingers (only one 224 of which is seen). Thestepped faces 230, 23|, 233 and 234 co-act with the dog 236, while thebars 229 and 232 are oppositely moved by the rack and pinion device (notshown).

As best seen in the right end of Figure 1-a and in Figure 6, the dogsare pivotally mounted on the frame at |39 and |40 and are adapted to bepartially rotated in a stepped manner by the link |4| whichinter-connects the dogs |36 and 238. The link |4| is pivotally connectedto the upper arm |42 of a bell crank action. The lower arm |43 isconnected at its outer end to the link |44, the lower end of4 which isAconnected to the lever |45. rThe inner end of the lever |45 is irr-Yterengaged with the adjacent end of an arm |46, the other end of whichterminates and is pivotally mounted at |41 to the frame. Two sprocket 1shafts |48 and |49 of well known construction are utilized to controlthe sizes of the stitches of the knitted material by varying theposition of the stitch size cams 9| and 92 by being stepped around torotate a number of chains, such as the chains |50 and |5|. Each of thesechains carries the necessary number of lugs |52 and |53 arranged atintervals about the chain and brought into contact with the lever |45 orthe arm |46 at the proper time and duration to accomplish the desiredshift of the dogs |36 and 236. As shown in Figure 6, the link |4|, andhence the dogs |36 and 236, may be shifted by a lug on either of thechains |50, |5|, depending upon the positions of the lugs |52 and |53thereon. If a lug on the chain |50 is engaged with the lever |45, thelatter is rocked about its pivot |54 independently of the arm |46. Onthe other hand, if a lug on the chain |5| engages the arm |46, thisraises the lever |45 to have a corresponding effect.

Each of the carriages 5| and 52, see Figure 1, is provided with stitchsize cams corresponding to those on the master carriage 50 as describedabove and the bars |29-a, 229-a, |29- b and 229- b are inter-connectedby the stitch size cam links |55, |56, |51 and |58.

The yarn carrier changing structure, indicated generally by referencecharacter 56, is best seen in Figures l-a, 3 and 4. The structure 56 ismounted upon the carriage 50 and transmits through the elongated yarncarrier bars |6|, |62, |63 and |64 its yarn shifting effect. The carrierbars are slidably mounted for reciprocation, longitudinally of themachine in the yarn bar supports |66, |61, |68 and |69. The bar supportsISB-|69 are substantially identical and extend upwardly from bridges|12, |13, |14 and a fourth one (not shown) below the carriage 52 inFigure 1, which are disposed at the level of the stationary frame beds21 and 28. Each of the said yarn bar supports includes a base |16, arelatively narrow upright |11 and a slotted head with a, retainer platesecured t0 the head to hold the bars in place.

Each of the bars I6 64 has three yarn guides secured thereto, one foreach of the knitting units 22, 23 and 24 referred to hereinabove, sothat in Figure 3 there are shown the guides |68, |69, and |9| for theknitting unit 22; in Figure 1 there are shown the guides |92, |93, |94and for unit 23 and the guides |96, |91, |98 and |99 for unit 24. Adetailed view of the guide |90 is seen in Figures 4 and 2-a and itcomprises an offset bracket 200 carrying a yarn eye 20|, a connector202, and a yarn tube 203. The particular yarn 204 may be supplied fromany well known yarn rack (not shown). Each of the other yarn guides isof substantially the same construction as the guide |90 the bracketsvarying in size and angularity to place the yarn over the open needlehooks during the knitting process.

Thus each knitting unit 22, 23 and 24 may be served with four differentthreads or yarns which may vary in character as desired. 'I'he yarnselected by the control is laid into the open needle hooks of theneedles 33 by the yarn tube, such as the tube 203 being moved along theknitting area between the front and rear needle beds. The brushes 88 and89 keep the latches open and prevent the yarn from coming out oftherlmoks., The. particular yarn carrierbar being activated is movedalong by reason of its engagement-y withy the master carriage 50. Thisis accomplished` by al series of four pins 206, 201, 208; and 209. Thepins are vertically reciprocatable: and. have inactivey upper positionsand active lower' positions. Each of the said pins 20G-209 has: aslidably and resiliently mounted lower terminal. See Figure 4 in whichthe terminal. 2|| inthe form of a sleeve as slidably mountedon the lowerend of the pin 208 is seen. A- spring 2|3 urges the terminal 2li to itslowermost position. The terminal 2i i is provided with a slot 2515 inwhich the projection 2|6a from the pin- 208' rides. This slot andprojection limits the upper and lower travel of the terminal 2|| withrespect to the pin 208. The terminals of the pins 20S-209 coact withupward projections 21-9, 2.|2, 2h.l and 2|.6 on the bars IGI-|64, re.-spectively. For example, with the pin 208 lowered to its `activeposition and the carriage 50 about to travel to the right as viewed inFigures l-a and 3, the pin will engage the left end 2|8 of theprojection 2M. The carriage then travels to the right and the bar |03goes along with it.

There. are eight sets of cams, 2|9, 220', 22|, 222, 223:, 225, 226 and221 (see` Fig. 1-a), which are adapted; to` stop the movement of thebars it-|54. rllhese cams are pivotally mounted on extensions from theyarn bar supports. Thus, the cams 219: and 22`| are mounted upontheextension 228 and the cams 223 and 226 areqmounted upon the extension.230. The extensions 22B and 2391are longitudinally adjustable inpositionA with respect to the yarn bar-support |01 in any suitablemanner, as for example by being slidably disposed'ln the yarn barsupports andmaintained in adjusted positions thereof by set screws 8 and9' which engage the upper surfaces 6 and 1 of the extensionsl 22.8 and239 respectivelyy (see Figure 3).. Predetermined adjusted positions ofthe extensions with respect to the yarn bar supportsmay be obtained by'providing the extensions with'.v orifices l5 and 5 with whichv thescrews tia-nd 9 may engage.` The cams 220 and 222 are mounted upontheextension 242, andthe cams-225 and 221 are mounted. upon theextension24|. The extensions. 24.!) and 211| are longitudinally adjustable inposition withv relation to the yarn bar supporty |95. While thecarriages therefore make complete traverses ofthe entire needle bedlengths, the fabric need not be as wide as the needle bed. is long butneed be only as wide as the relative movement of a particular yarnyguide. By the. adjustment of the positionsA of the cams Mil-223 and22E-22,1., the width of the nished material |59 can be determined. Thecams last mentionedv are urged in the directions of the yarn bars towhich they relate by springs such as the spring 242 and preferablysuitable stops are. provided, such. as the stop 253. to preventcontactof the cams against the sides of the yarn bars. It is desirable that thecams be in close proximity to the. yarn barsv but not that. they rub.

Returning tothe engagement of the pin 298 with the end Zit of theprojection 214, as. described above, as the pin is carried. tothe right(see Figure 3) the long arm of the lever type cam 225i is deflected,against the tensionv of the sprim 259., so as to allow the said pin topass. when thecarriage 55 reaches the righthandend of itstravel (seeFigure l-a) said pin 208 will be elevated by the cam 22,5 toits inactiveor upper position. Action of the yarn selector control 55- mayreactivate the pin 208, or onefofA the other pins as; will appear hereinbelow. On the return trip when the carriage 5|]` moves to the left,assuming that the pin 208 has again been selected, it engages the rightend 245 of the projection 2M, the cam 225 will deflect to-allow said pinto pass and at the end of the return trip the cam 228 will elevate thepin 2.08.- to-its inactive position. The other pins 206, 201, and 209have a similar mode of operation with the cams and projections whichthey engage.

The selector 56 acts to lower the desired pin of the pins 206, 251, 208and 299 to the. active or yarn feeding position thereof. Each of thesepins has (in addition to the movable terminals, corresponding to theterminal 2l a head 24'6, 241, 248 (see Fig. 2-a) or 249, an expansivecoil spring 250, 25|, 252, and 253, and a laterally extending pintle254, 255, 256 and 251, respectively. The shanks of the pins 20S-200 arevertically reciprocable in cylindrical bores in the block 25.8 (seeFigure 5) and there are slots laterally extending from said bores withinwhich the pintles25li-251 may move. A reciprocable latch plate 259islon.- gitudinally slidable in the rabbet 260 in the surface 26| of theblock 255. The block 258 is secured to the upper surface of the bridge55. A guide 262 maintains the latch plate 259 in. position. The latchplate 262 is urged forwardly by the coil spring 263, and has a pluralityof` cam surfaces 254 and notches 265. By virtue ofthe structurejustdescribed, the downward movement of. any one of the pins 209-209 causesits respective pintle 2513-251 to engage one of the cam sur.- faces 254in turn shifting the latch plate 259 rearwardly. This releases anypreviously engaged pintle` from a notch 265. As the pintle beinglowered. travels farther downwardly, it in turn be, comes engaged by anotch 265, as the-latch plate 259 is urged forward with a snap action..

The pins 205-209 are pressed to the lower. or active position thereof bythe long levers 266-269, inclusive, respectively, which engage thepintles on saidpins.

All of the levers 26S-260 are pivotally mounted on the axle 210. Theouter or rear ends of the levers 26E-269 are adapted to be selectivelyele.- vated by a plurality of vertically reciprocable rods ZTI-214,inclusive, said rods being mounted; within pairs of aligned orices inthe U-shaped support 215. Suitable projections in the upper portions ofthe rods prevent them from dropping down excessively when they are notengaged by the cam 216. The U-shaped support 215 is secured to the rearvertical surface of the bridge 55. The cam 211 is similar to the cam 218just noted, cam 211 being seen in Figure l-a. Cams 21.6and 211 haverearwardly directed racks 218 and 219, respectively, which engage a pairof gear trains, only one of which, the train 280 is seen, in Figure 4,and these gear trains are actuated by the shaft 28|. The right end 282(see Figure 6) of the shaft 28| has a crank 283 which is pivotallyconnected by the link 250.' to the crank 285, whichy is xed uponcountershaft 286. Another crank 281 is connected through a link 280 to alever 289 which. is similar to. the lever |55. The. lever |45 isactuated' by a chain control (not shown) simil'arfto the chain 150.Thus, actuation of the lever 289 results in the simultaneous shifting inposition-of the cams 219 and 211, so that they engage the desired rods2li-219. These in turn shift the levers 295-299 to lower the desiredpins 295- 209, thereby moving the desired-yarn carrier bars 16J-|64.

The main carriage 50 has pivotally connected thereto, at the rear ofsaid carriage, a yoke 29| which is detachably engageable with the slider292. This connection, which is provided with a ball handle 302 may besuch that upon overload the same will automatically disengage andpreferably simultaneously break the circuit to the source of power forthe machine. The slider 292 is slidably engaged upon the track 293 whichis xed to the frame of the machine and may be maintained in position bythe supports 99. A bracket 294 may be supported by the track 293 and thesupports 99 and upon the bracket are journalled a pair of sprockets 295and 296. An endless sprocket chain 291 is carried by the sprockets 295and 296, and said chain has a forwardly extending pin 298 which isvertically reciprocable within a vertically arranged slot 299 in theblock 300, the latter being fixed to the slider 292. The sprocket 29B isXed to a shaft (not shown) which carries the gear 30|, and this gear maybe driven by any suitable source of power, in timed correlation to theyarn selecting, jacquard needle shifting, and bed shifting mechanisms ina well known manner.

It may thus be seen that we have provided a novel and highly usefulknitting machine and method of knitting. With a master unit, a pluralityof controlled units duplicate the product of the master unit. By virtueof our means for controlling the shifting in position of the needlesfrom the front to the rear needle beds or vice versa, the third,jacquard or rearmost jacks are guided in substantially the same grooveor raceway by which the rear jacks are shifted. This reduces the numberof cams and locks required and hence the size and weight of thecarriage, making a more compact machine which, because of less friction,may be run at higher speed. By our novel double butt jacks, wear on theparts is materially reduced, with a consequent reduction in servicingand replacement and unproductive machine time. Only one yarn selectormechanism is required to control all of the knitting units. Inaccordance with our invention, a single stitch cam element is used forknitting in both directions of movement of a carriage, the cam elementhaving two cam surfaces. This permits a smaller lighter carriage to beused. Undesirable pressure and wear on the needles is reduced owing tothe positioning and support of the jacks obtained by the coaction of theshoulders beneath the butts on the jacks with the under surfaces of thecams on the carriages.

We claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a bed and a movable carriage, a yarnselector comprising: A

means to detachably interconnect said carriage and one of said yarncarrier bars, said means comprising a plurality of reciprocatable pinson said carriage one for each carrier bar; a projection on each of theyarn carrier bars, any one of said pins being engageable behind theprojection on a respective bar, in the direction in which the bar isbeing moved; and a plurality of cams adjustably mounted upon the machineadapted to elevate said pins out of engagement with said projectionswhen said bars are moving in one direction, said cams being pivotallymounted and adapted to swing out of the way of the pins when said pinsare traveling in an opposite direction as they are moved along by thecarriage.

Z. In a knitting machine having a bed and a movable carriage a yarnselector comprising: a plurality of yarn carrier bars; a yarn barsupport; a yarn guide on each of said bars; said bars being movablymounted on said machine for movement in the same directions as thecarriage is movable; and means to detachably interconnect said carriageand one of said yarn carrier bars, said means comprising a plurality ofreciprocating pins on said carriage, one for each carrier bar; aprojection on each of the yarn carrier bars, any one of said pins beingengageable behind the projection of one respective bar, in the directionin which the bar is moved; and a plurality of cams mounted by meansallowing lateral adjustment with respect to said yarn bar support andadapted to elevate said pins out of engagement with said projectionswhen said bars are moving in one direction, said last mentioned meansincluding a screw element; said cams being pivotally mounted and adaptedto swing out of the way of the pins when said pins are traveling in anopposite direction as they are moved along by the carriage.

3. In a, knitting machine having a bed and a movable carriage, a yarnselector comprising: a plurality of yarn carrier bars; a yarn guide oneach of said bars; said bars being movably mounted on said machine formovement in the same directions as the carriage is movable; and means todetachably interconnect said carriage and one of said yarn carrier bars,said means comprisinga plurality of reciprocating pins on saidcarriage,one for each carrier bar, a projection on each of the yarn carrier bars,any one of said pins being engageable behind the projection of itsrespective bar, in the direction in which the bar is moved; and aplurality of cams adjustably mounted upon the machine and adapted toelevate said pins out of engagement with said projections when said barsare moving in one direction, said adjustable mounting including a screwwhich may be loosened for adjustment, and tightened when the adjustmenthas been accomplished; said cams being pivotally mounted and adapted toswing out of the way of the pins when said pins are traveling in anopposite direction as they are moved along by the carriage.

4. In a knitting machine having a bed and a movable carriage, a yarnselector comprising: a plurality of yarn carrier bars; a yarn guide oneach of said bars; said bars being movably mounted on said machine formovement in the same directions as the carriage is movable; and means todetachably interconnect said carriage and one of said yarn carrier bars,said means comprising a plurality of reciprocating pins on saidcarriage, one for each carrier bar; a projection on each of the yarncarrier bars, any one of said pins being engageable behind theprojection of one respective bar, in the direction in which the bar ismoved; and a plurality of cams adjustably mounted upon the machine andadapted to elevate said vpins out of engagement with said projectionswhen said bars are moving in one direction, said cams being pivotallymounted and adapted to swing out of the way of the pins when said pinsare traveling in an opposite direction as they are moved along by thecarriage, and resilient means to return the cams to the position oiengagement with said pins after said pins have passed said cams.

5. In a knitting machine having a bed and a movable carriage, a yarnselector comprising: a

13 plurality of yarn carrier bars; a yarn guide on each of said bars;said bars being movably mounted on said machine for movement in the samedirections in which the carriage is movable; and means to detachablyinterconnect said carriage and one of said yarn carrier bars, said meanscomprising a plurality of reciprocating pins on said carriage, one foreach carrier bar; a .projection on each of the yarn carrier bars, anyone of said pins being engageable behind the projection of itsrespective bar, in the direction in Which the bar is moved; and aplurality of cams adjustably mounted upon the machine and adapted toelevate said pins out of engagement with said projections when said barsare moving in one direction, said cams being pivotally mounted on avertical axis, and adapted to swing out of the Way of the pins when saidpins are traveling in an opposite direction as they are moved along bythe carriage, and resilient means to return the cams to the position ofengagement with said pins after said pins have passed said cams.

MICHAEL ZIMIC.

ANTON MISKOVSKY.

REFERENCES UITED The following references are of record in the ie ofthis patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,127,699 Robaczynski Aug. 23,1938 2,164,170 Zimio June 27, 1939 19 2,219,607 Zimio Oct. 29, 19402,286,227 Ralston June 16, 1942 2,395,814 Hayhurst Mar. 5, 19452,395,816 Hayhurst Mar. 5, 1946 l5 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date394,279 Great Britain June 22, 1933 492,842 Germany Feb. 27, 1930

